Gurrira plays Michonne on the hit zombie series, the friend and mother figure of the recently deceased Carl Grimes, played by Chandler Riggs.

It was revealed Riggs was leaving the show late last year, when his character Carl unveiled a fatal wound. He officially left the series this year in depressing scenes that saw him say goodbye to Michonne and his father Rick (Andrew Lincoln) before ending his own life.

Speaking at Riggs’ panel at London Walker Stalker Convention, Gurrira said: “Chandler has been my heart on this show, quite completely. It was really hard. It was really really hard. I was very not happy about losing him and it was really hard to go through that journey with him at the end.

“His work has always been so stellar. As I walked on that set for the first time, I was the new kid on the block and it was amazing how there was this beautiful, sweet, kind, mature heart in this young man. It was from the get-go.

“And then we got to working together, and I always say this because it’s true, I found Michonne’s heart through interacting with Carl. I found my footing, feeling like I was at home on that set, through interacting with Chandler.

“I don’t even know how to begin to thank you for that – because literally, he was eleven years old!”

Walker Stalker Convention takes place at Kensington Olympia on March 10-11 2018. The Walking Dead airs Mondays on FOX at 9pm.